Oi Navarcoi!

On an event roll of 6-8, a fleet that has lost half or more of its squadrons (rounded up) leaves the field. If both fleets qualify, each rolls a d6 with +1 for the defending fleet, +1 for more Determined squadrons, -1 for more Poorly motivated squadrons and -1 if the admiral was killed; the lower roll abandons the field.

6-8 A fleet which lost half of its squadrons or more leaves the field*

Any squadron within 6 inches directly behind a squadron that routed is automatically Disordered, or Unformed if it was already Disordered.

Any squadron within 6” directly behind a squadron which routed is automatically Disordered (or Unformed id already Disordered).

Routing squadrons move 2Avd directly away from the enemy each turn until they leave the table. They pass through other squadrons with no effect and never rally or fight.

Routing squadrons never rally or engages in melee and are out of the game in all respects.

Disordered squadrons get -1 to movement and to Battle and manoeuvre rolls. A second disorder makes a squadron Unformed: slow, fighting as if flanked, and taking the Katastrophe morale malus. A Disordered squadron rallies by spending a movement phase stationary and out of melee.

To rally from Disorder, squadrons must spend a movement phase stationary and not in melee. They automatically recover at the end of the turn.

All tests are simultaneous, with crew morale +/-1, Katastrophe -1 and Pursuing -2. One squadron must survive each melee: if both rout, the higher morale roll stays. In full-size play, squadrons in melee with 4 stands or fewer also test.

At the beginning of this phase, all squadrons that failed a Battle test must test morale by rolling 6+ on 2d6, using the modifiers from the table below.

Epi mias (line abreast) is best in melee but slow and vulnerable to diekplous. Epi pollon (two lines of two) moves 8 inches, wheels easily and can perform diekplous. Epi keras (column) moves 8 inches and turns freely but fights worst. Kyklos (circle) cannot move and has no flanks. Changing formation or about-facing costs the whole move unless done by signal; unformed squadrons move 1Avd-1 in a straight line and must spend a stationary turn to reform.

Squadrons must always be in one of these formations: Epi mias. All stands are in line abreast. It literally means “one deep”, referring to the number of lines in a naval formation.

A squadron in melee with a router tests morale; if it fails, it pursues into contact, Unformed, and does not move in the next movement phase. Each later morale phase it tests again (-2 Pursuing) to stop.

Squadrons in melee with routing squadrons must then roll a Morale test themselves, to see if they pursue.

Epi mias turns by wheeling. Epi pollon can wheel or turn all stands 90 degrees together. Epi keras turns in succession behind the lead ship, up to 90 degrees, at no cost. About face (180 degrees) and change of front normally cost the move, and contact cannot be made by wheeling.

A squadron in epi keras moves 8” and turns in succession after the lead ship, up to 90° (no movement is expended for turning).

Epi mias moves up to 1Avd inches (an average die numbered 2-3-3-4-4-5) and can back water 2 inches. Epi pollon and epi keras move 8 inches. Disordered squadrons get -1 to movement. Routers move 2Avd, and freighters move 2Avd downwind or 1Avd across the wind.

A squadron in epi mias moves up to the distance rolled to 1 average dice (1Avd), a six-sided dice numbered 2-3-3-4-4-5.

Squadrons routed off an enemy edge or onto a hostile beach are lost. Those leaving by a friendly edge are saved. Those leaving by a neutral edge roll 7+ on 2d6 per remaining stand to survive the voyage home. This shows whether the loser still has a fleet.

Squadrons which routed out of a neutral table edge must roll a 7+ on 2d6 for each remaining stand to survive the long voyage home.

Each player rolls 1d6 and the two are summed on the Event table. 2-3 or 11-12 worsen the weather and force manoeuvre tests. 4 and 10 are good omens that raise a squadron's morale, and 5 and 9 kill a navarch and lower a squadron in melee. 6-8 triggers fleet withdrawal.

Each player rolls 1d6. Sum up the results and read what happens from the Event table below. If the event is not applicable this turn, then nothing happens.

Fleets deploy simultaneously 10-15 inches from the centre line and at least 10 inches from the side edges, behind a screen or drawn on paper. Each table edge is friendly, neutral or enemy to each fleet. Fleets are grouped into wings and one squadron commander is named strategos.

Deployment is simultaneous. You may use a screen on the table or deploy on paper first, each player drawing a small map of the placement of its squadron, noting also their formations.

The types are Clash in open seas, Defending the motherland, Meeting engagement (columns in epi keras, no signals), Ambush behind a cape, Bottled up (beached fleet launching squadrons on 10+), Convoy (freighters must exit) and Amphibious battle. A separate scenario covers Knidos, 394 BC, with named squadrons and traits.

Here are a number of different situations which provide interesting tactical challenges for the players.

Diekplous: an attacker in epi pollon or epi keras contacts an unengaged enemy in epi mias. Attacker-only success places it in the defender's rear for an immediate melee; both succeeding pushes it back 6 inches; any failure disorders it and starts a melee. Periplous: line against line. Attacker-only success puts it on the offshore flank; a tie sends both racing offshore in column each turn until one wins, possibly off-table with losses. Crew, ship (fast/heavy) and disorder modifiers apply, and green or disordered squadrons cannot attempt either.

If only the attacker is successful, diekplous has been performed! Place the attacking squadron in epi mias in the defender’s rear and immediately fight a melee.

A flank or rear attack is only possible if the attacker was already behind the enemy's front before contact. The victim becomes Unformed, automatically fails the first Battle test and tests morale with the Katastrophe malus. The attacker ignores formation differential and first-turn failure effects. Unformed squadrons always fight their first melee turn as if flanked, and a 1-stand squadron facing 3+ stands routs automatically.

A unit flanked/attacked from rear is immediately Unformed and automatically fails the first Battle test.

Formations are ranked for melee: 1 epi mias and kyklos, 2 epi pollon, 3 unformed, 4 epi keras. The worse-formed squadron subtracts the difference in rank from its Battle test, so epi pollon against epi mias is -1. Squadrons in epi pollon or epi keras that are engaged frontally form line next turn, and epi keras is also immediately Disordered.

The squadron with the worst formation in a melee is penalized a number of points equal to the difference between the two formations.

After the initiative roll both sides secretly order their phalanx to Move, Redress or Deploy. A moving phalanx keeps going until given new orders or it enters the 5-inch Respect area. Phalanx melee allocates 3d6 to hoplite stands and 2d6 to euzonoi stands and compares pairs: losing hoplites are pushed back and rout on the second push-back. An army routs when two wings rout.

After the initiative roll: Both sides secretly give orders to their phalanxes

The winner of the d6 roll-off picks move order. Each player then moves all their squadrons, one at a time in any order, before the other player moves.

Roll a d6 for each side. Higher roll chooses whether to move first or second.

The players roll an event, then move one side after the other. All melees are resolved simultaneously. In the Morale phase squadrons that failed Battle tests test morale, routers move, and pursuers test to stop.

1. Event phase a) Roll on the Event table. 2. Movement phase a) Both players roll a d6. Highest roll chooses to move first or second.

There are five signals: turn 90 degrees right, turn 90 degrees left, deploy column into line to the right, deploy to the left, and engage the enemy. A fleet gets half its squadron count (rounded up) in signals, written down pre-battle per wing. One signal can be given per turn, announced before moving that wing. A signal manoeuvre is extra to normal movement and needs no Manoeuvre test. Meeting-engagement and ambushed fleets cannot use signals.

In the pre-battle phase, each player writes down which signals will be used during the battle and to which wing(s) they are directed.

Wheeling, changing front or formation, about-facing, backing water or engaging the enemy all require 6+ on 2d6, with crew quality +/-1 and -2 within 8 inches of an enemy. On a failure the manoeuvre still happens but the squadron becomes Disordered, or Unformed if it was already Disordered.

If the test fails the squadron becomes Disordered, but the manoeuvre it was attempting is still performed successfully

Contact is made by moving straight ahead and conforming. Each squadron rolls 2d6: 5 or less means it is Disordered and must test morale; 6-8 the enemy loses half a stand; 9-10 one stand; 11-12 one and a half stands. Modifiers are crew quality +/-1, Disordered -1 and the formation differential; 2-vs-1 fights share losses.

Then, each squadron in contact performs a Battle test by rolling 2d6 and aiming at 6+ for success. Results are applied immediately.

Civilian freighters are always unformed and sail away from the wind at 2Avd inches, or perpendicular to it at 1Avd. Oared warships ignore wind, except that weather events force manoeuvre tests.

Civilian freighters can only sail away from the wind, moving 2Avd”, or perpendicular to it – in this case they only move 1Avd”.

A squadron has four stands, each of two models, and Battle test results strip half, one or one and a half stands from the enemy. Single-model stands track half-stand losses. In 1:1 play, squadrons have 8 stands and losses are doubled.

You may want to have a few stands with only one model, to use when a unit lost half a stand in melee.

Manoeuvre, Battle, morale, diekplous and periplous tests all roll 2d6 against 6+ with small +/-1 modifiers. Movement uses an average die (2-3-3-4-4-5), and some losses use d3.

must perform a Manoeuvre test by rolling 6 or more on 2d6.

After a rout, a flotsam marker about the size of a squadron in epi mias is left where the melee was fought. Any squadron crossing it, even partly, moves at half speed and becomes Disordered.

Any squadron crossing the marker even with a small part must move at half speed and is Disordered, if not already

Crew quality is Well trained +1 or Green -1 (manoeuvre and Battle tests). Crew morale is Determined +1 or Poorly motivated -1 (morale tests). Ships are Fast +1 or Heavy -1, applying only to diekplous and periplous. The modifiers combine freely, e.g. well-trained but reluctant crews.

This allows you to field well trained, but reluctant squadrons (Phoenician subjects of the Great King, perhaps?), or goofy but determined crews, such as the dogged Corinthians.